Post navigation

Featured

Welcome, busy, smart mom. I’m so happy you are here! Come in and let’s get to know one another. Have you ever looked around your life and wondered, “is this it?” And then felt a little guilty for even thinking that? Because you know your life is great and God has wonderfully blessed you but you still feel like there is something more (or something missing?).

If you’ve ever felt this way – even for a second – I want you to know you are not alone…I understand and I get you. As a mom, friend, wife, sister, executive, entrepreneur, dreamer and faith seeker – -I’m blessed, too — and yet I sometimes ask “is this it?”

We’re responsible for so much: planned days get shoved aside because of all the hats we wear, our kids need to be picked up, dropped off, fed, changed, helped with homework, taught values, read to, put to bed, disciplined, and the list goes on. Our spouses need us to run errands, pay bills, cook dinner, do laundry and talk to them, What?? Talk, who has time to communicate!! We need to concentrate on work. Our volunteer organizations need us to help just a “little” more. Our friends need some quality time with us and an ear to listen. So what about you what do you need?

Some days I’ve got this life balance thing down pat and I’m living my dreams and managing my time well and others I’m reaching for something higher. I believe we can all have our beautiful life and Envision all of our Possibilities, I believe you can start your own business, ministry, blog or whatever God is calling you to do….let’s take that time here on these pages together and may you live the life you have always dreamed….. right now today!

I’m not a fan of common core education not by a long shot and today one of my sweet twins Lucas socked it to the core in his own way and I could not have been more proud!

Our other twin Gabriel is feeling a little down about his “gifted” math. Because of his ASD condition his brain thinks more logically and not very abstractly (which common core is built for the abstract). So with a test looming tomorrow he is very nervous and anxious. I am working with him on positive affirmations. As we were driving along today he was in the back saying “I am just so afraid I am going to fail, I am very nervous” and I am saying “No, Gabriel you can’t think that way, you are going to do your best and you are going to say I CAN do this.”

Then Lucas says from his spot in the back “Gabriel remember what we learned about faith… when Peter was walking on water and he started to lose his faith and sink then Jesus helped him….you just have to have faith and Jesus will help you do well” …..melt my heart….. take that common core! Common core may be the most idiotic thing I have ever encountered and my kids may not ever learn the way the government thinks they should but they know and love Jesus at age 6 and that’s pretty good in my book! And I have faith that God will hear my little boy’s prayer! And mine and yours : )

No one gets picked for a team and then wants to sit on a bench. Nobody devotes years of service to a company with the idea that what she has done is insignificant. Nobody wants to think that at her funeral, the eulogy will declare that her life didn’t matter.

We want to make a difference, and not just for ourselves. Nobody hopes that at their memorial someone will stand up and say, “She worked hard to be successful. She did a good job acquiring power and money. She was anxious and driven and self-preoccupied and polite and respectable, and she impressed a lot of people.”

NO! We want to leave the world a little changed. When it’s time to go, we would like for someone to say, “My life is a little richer; my world is a little bigger; I’m a better person because this human being walked the planet awhile. She made a difference. She changed my life. She was the best mom.”

We don’t want to be benchwarmers. We don’t want a life on the sidelines. I don’t mind losing and I don’t have to be the star, but I want to be in the game. How about you? Are you in YOUR game? This desire we have is a wonderful thing. Our hunger for significance is an indicator of who we are and why we were created. Deeper than our need for food or air or water is our need for meaning, our need to know our lives count for something. We are built for meaning.

(Excerpt from “When The Game Is Over it All Goes Back In The Box” by John Ortberg)

If this speaks to you; if you are looking for more out of life, if you don’t want to be a benchwarmer, if you’ve ever looked around you at other people…other moms…and wondered what they are doing differently? Why they seem so happy and passionate about their lives when you’re just going through the motions? And you want to make sure you are living the life God intends for you then I invite you to come with me and 15 other women on a journey and Find YOUR Beautiful Life. (all from the comfort of your home) Learn more here:http://www.dixieandrade.com/find-your-beautiful-life/

During this program you will;

Solidify your foundation of faith
Define who you are and the reason you were created
Cherish the benefits of living in your giftedness
Get clear on where to spend time, money and energy
Learn how to listen for God’s voice

Sign up before March 1st and receive these bonuses

Free one hour one on one coaching (value $247.00)
PDF download “3 Simple Steps to Get Focused and Organized Even When You Don’t Have Time” (value $27.00)
MP3 audio coaching download to accompany “3 Simple Steps to Get Focused and Organized Even When You Don’t Have Time” (value $47.00)

Do you often look around you at other people…other moms…and wonder what they are doing differently? Why they seem so happy and passionate about their lives when you’re just going through the motions?

I feel your pressure and know your pain, I’ve been there…….

I grew up with the dream of being a business woman complete with the high heels and suits and when the time was right also to be a mom……I’ve done both…..I’ve loved both and sometimes I’ve asked in a small little voice in my head where no one can hear but God…..is this it? Am I missing out on your plan? What am I here for? And yes, I have been mightily blessed so I feel guilty asking this question but still I know if I am not living my God given passions am I really living my life on purpose…..his purpose?

I know you are busy and I know you have dreams to meld with the busyness. Can you do it? Sure you can! You just need to know where to start. Join me from anywhere in the world to Find Your Beautiful Life check it out here

“Baby Jesus is lost” that was my comment to my friend as she called to ask me to a Christmas breakfast.

“Well Dixie, does this happen often, do you often lose Jesus?”

She was asking in jest, but actually my baby Jesus from my manger scene was missing and it was driving me crazy trying to find him in all my many Christmas decoration boxes!

But I must confess sometimes in my life I do feel l like I’ve lost Jesus especially in the hustle and bustle of the holidays. Am I the only one out there who feels like this?

The truth is Jesus is never lost and he never leaves me but this little episode reminded me to stop and take a moment to ask him to forgive me when I lose him. Yes I did find him for my manger but I can’t help but wonder if this was God’s way of gently reminding me that Jesus is the reason for the season.

Does anyone else out there need a reminder……give yourself some grace I know God does! May you enjoy the holiday to the fullest and when the stress comes on may you remember this time is once a year AND Jesus is the reason for the season and it should be joyful.

My second grade teacher asked us to write a story. She would pick the best one and award a prize.

I don’t remember much about what I wrote that day, although I’m sure it wasn’t Pulitzer Prize material.

Somehow, miraculously, I won. My “prize” was a dime store, strawberry-shaped notebook. I didn’t care. That day, God sparked a dream in my heart. The dream to write.

A divinely inspired dream is a powerful thing – and a huge threat to Satan. He works overtime to discourage and distract us from accomplishing God’s purpose for our lives.

He tries to keep our expectations of God very low. Reasonable. Manageable. He uses people, circumstances — anything he can — to kill that big dream that lurks inside of us.

Over the years, I’ve thought my dream was dead many times. Buried by life circumstances. Backburnered at times while I was raising children. Downsized by financial realities.

Are you feeling discouraged by how slowly your dreams seem to be unfolding? You are not alone. But rest assured. When God puts a dream in our hearts and we’re relying on His power, timing and energy to pursue it — it’s unstoppable.

How do you pursue the dream?

In Ephesians 2:10, God tells us that He has created us to do good work that only we can do. But pursuing our dreams can seem overwhelming. Here are a few guidelines that have helped me as I’ve pursued God’s purpose for my life: Continue reading →

Overhearing what they said, Jesus told them, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” Mark 5:36 Sometimes you will be the only person who believes in your dream. Dream it anyway. Don’t be afraid. Believe in yourself, pray and work hard for your dream.

Friends and I were recently together and one common phrase ran between us, “I wish I could but there is not enough time.” You see we are busy moms, wives, friends, writers, doctors, entrepreneurs, teachers, etc. but as I was listening to us talk I had a feeling inside that said “this is not right, life is so precious shouldn’t we find the time” so in the midst of our conversation I stopped and said these words; “What if it’s us? What if we are the ones just making the excuses, what if instead of “doing” all the time we made a conscious effort to live our priorities not someone else’s?”

My friends were intrigued and we made a pact to try intentional living of our priorities for a month. It was not easy! Some of us had to give up volunteer obligations, some even had to give up friends, some changed jobs, took less pay, had to change their mindset and their husbands’ AND some had to hear their mama complain…..but through it all we knew that we had a few Saturdays left and this is how we NEEDED to live our lives, this is what God intended…..how many Saturdays do you have left?

I do not know who originally wrote this story but I do know you can find it in “Charging The Human Battery” by Mac Anderson and also on a lot of other blogs and email chains (so I give credit to the unknown original author and Mr Anderson)….enjoy and may you forever remember your Saturdays…….

‘3900 Saturdays’

The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it’s the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it’s the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable.

A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the garage with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it:

I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net. Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. You know the kind, he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business. He was telling whom-ever he was talking with something about ‘a thousand marbles..’ I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say….

‘ Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you’re busy with your job. I’m sure they pay you well but it’s a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. It’s too bad you missed your daughter’s ‘dance recital’ he continued. ‘Let me tell you something that has helped me keep my own priorities.’ And that’s when he began to explain his theory of a ‘thousand marbles.’ Continue reading →

I stand in the middle of my dining room and look across the room at the dining room table where the Thanksgiving turkeys made out of handprints sit as a centerpiece, mixed with the beautiful display of pumpkins and leaves. I put all that together back in October and I sigh in dismay…..now its time to take it down and deck the halls with Christmas decorations………oh how time consuming, but I do love the end result! Growing up my mom and Grandmom were so good at decorating they put all the items each year in the same place and it was magical, they made it look effortless. Why can’t I be more like that? I thought to myself.

This year I feel the stress! I want it all to be perfect. We will have a lot of my husband’s overseas family visiting for Thanksgiving and our children are old enough to really have the holiday spirit so I feel like I should leave Thanksgiving decorations up until after Thanksgiving Thursday and then pull out the Christmas decorations; you know one holiday at a time, but then I feel so rushed and then time seems to fly.

I also want to create holiday traditions that my children can always cherish and I want to start this year since they are old enough. I think the “Samaritan’s Purse” shoebox idea is a great cause: http://www.samaritanspurse.org The idea is to fill shoeboxes with toys, toiletries and other items for distribution to needy children in Third World countries.

Usually if you come over to my Envision Possibilities blog I am trying to inspire you to live your best life NOW while practicing your balancing act so today since the holidays are approaching as a busy mom I thought it would be fun to share a great family recipe that is fun, easy and perfect for the woman on the go and the holidays …..not to mention so many people have asked me about this recipe so I wanted to share!

My household is southern by way of myself from Georgia and Latin by way of my husband from Ecuador and our children are a mix! So today I’m sharing an Ecuadorian Shrimp Ceviche recipe (with a southern twist) that my husband’s family taught me. This recipe can be made the night before and left in the refrig so if your week is busy which I know we usually all have busy weeks you can mix it up Sunday eat some right away and it will be perfect for Monday too! Or if you have to take a dish to the Thanksgiving meal mix this up on Wednesday and you will be set!

Keep in mind…. I learned this recipe from my husband’s family BUT I added my own twist and I don’t really measure anything….. I taste it as I go to make it my own….. so spice yours up the way your family likes as well! Also this is not your typical ceviche recipe nor is it the typical Peruvian cuisine it’s a flavor all its own.2 pounds of medium boiled shrimp or depending on the number of people you want to serve ( you want about 5 to 7 shrimp per person) peeled, and deveined…. let cool…. (added tip: do as I do and buy them from Publix (or your grocery store) already cooked, peeled, deveined and cooled….so much faster and easier : ) Continue reading →

The question I get asked most in my business is: “how can I find more time?” The question I want to ask is: “Well, are you putting on your own Oxygen mask first?” When I do, I usually get a blank stare…….read on to find out how to take care of your time and you!

Time is the great equalizer. Everybody gets the same amount: 24 hours in a day, 60 minutes in an hour. We can’t save time or accumulate or rearrange it. We can’t turn it off or on. It can’t be replaced.

But these days, it seems as if the lament of not having enough time has become a national anthem. Everywhere people find themselves constantly in a rush, over-booked and over-scheduled with no time off. Life is accompanied by the ongoing stress of not enough time. And sometimes doing too much and being too busy can be a way of forgetting yourself.

Though it may not always seem so, how we fill our time and how we spend it is our choice. Answer the following questions to discover if you’re caught up in the “too-busy” cycle.